We’re currently looking into some further changes to the bulk importer in Shotgun. Specifically we’re considering changing how the field mapping process is handled, including being able to create new fields directly during the import process.
With that in mind, we’re asking if any of you would have time (could be in person if you’re based in London, or via a Zoom call otherwise) for us to walk you through the changes and provide us with feedback?
Please reply to this post or message me directly if you are!
Whatever you do, make this have a configuration in the Site Prefs so that I can turn this off or at least ensure this is only possible if the user has field creation permissions. Bulk imports are where a large percentage of errors are introduced into our database. Mapping incorrectly is one thing, creating additional unintended entities is another but creating new fields… will only add to the mess.
I second this for sure. A lot of our bulk imports involve using a spreadsheet that hasn’t been made explicitly for the purpose of importing, so there are extraneous columns to be ignored. But also, typos in column names or a misremembering of what the current project uses (eg. trying to use field names from an old project).
In our use case, we rarely want making new fields to be convenient, because we want to keep things neat and tidy. So fields should only be created if totally necessary, and even then only by certain people.